NBA lockout latest: Day 98
After the 2nd meeting in so much as 3 days, the NBA players and owners have still failed to come to a new collective bargaining agreement.
Tuesday was marked as ‘D-Day’ and many hoped it would be the end of the on going labor dispute and the start of the up and coming regular season.
However after 4 hours in the board room, no progress was made and no further meetings between the two sides were scheduled.
NBA Commissioner David Stern said..
“We’re ready to meet and discuss any subject anyone wants to talk about. We’d like not to lose the first two weeks of the season, but it doesn’t look good.”
The lack of agreement between the two parties has forced the remainder of the pre-season period to be cancelled. If no common ground is met by Monday, the first 2 weeks of the regular season which is due to start on November 1st, will also be cancelled.
Stern and Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver revealed that owners had offered players a 50-50 split of the BRI (Basketball Related Income), coming in lower than the 57% the players were guaranteed under the previous bargaining agreement, however more than the 47% union officials said was proposed.
Players on the other hand, had offered to drop their BRI guarantee to 53%, which they said would give owners back more than $1 billion over a period of 6 years… although they also stated they would not reduce this percentage any further, at least not for now.
With no further meetings scheduled, Union Executive Director Billy Hunter believed it could be a month or even two before the two sides meet again.
If this is the case, the league is set to lose game time due to a work stoppage, as it did in the 1998-1999 season where it was reduced to 50 games.
Players in attendance yesterday in New York included LA Lakers front man Kobe Bryant, and Boston Celtics stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Bryant stated he was open to the option of playing overseas, and if the lockout dispute is to continue it is ‘very possible’ he may play in Italy.
Other players considering a move over to Europe are the Gasol Brothers. Speaking on Spanish Catalan radio station RAC1, Pau Gasol (LA Lakers) said..
“Barca would be my first option to consider, if the NBA season is cancelled..”
Both Pau and Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) are currently training with their old team FC Barcelona and will continue to if and when the lockout ends, upon which they will return to the NBA.
With no deal done the battle could go to the courts – an option both sides would like to prevent. So with the league likely to axe games if no labor agreement is met by Monday, the future of the NBA right now… looks far from bright!
